Ignition tester



Aug. 3 1926.

' A. BARNA, JR

IGNITION TESTER Filed May 25, 1922 Fig; 2

FIG. 5.

Patented Aug. 3, 1925.

UNITED iii'A'iES ANDREW BARNA, JR., 035 CHIGAGQ, ILLINOIS.

IGNITIGN TESTER.

Application filed May 25, 1922. Serial No. 563,535.

This invention relates to new and useployed in all types of combustionengine vehicles.

The primary obj ect of this invention is the production of an ignitiontester that may be readily supported on the dash board of a motorvehicle so as to be readilyvviewed at all times by the operator of thesame.

further object of this device is to readily enable the operator of amotor vehicle to determine at all times whether or not the ignition tothe several spark plugs of a motor is functioning properly, this testerpermittin the operatorof the vehinle to ascertain whether the trouble hein one of the plugs of the engine or in the feed wiresfrom thedistributor or within the distributor itself. I

A still further object of this invention is the production of such adevice that is both easy and inexpensive of manufacture and a device.that may be readily installed upon any motor vehicle employing theusual type of internal combustion engine.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel form, combination an arrangement of parts hereinafter more fullydescribed, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a front elevational view of the tester,the same beingremoved from the dash board,

Figure '2 is a top plan view of the same,

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view upon the broken line III-1H ofFig. 1,

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view upon the broken line IV-IV ofFig. 2 and showing the ignition wires secured in position, and furthershowing one of the switch blades partly in section and in an extendeddotted line position,

Figure 5 is a rear elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1,

Figure 6 is a detail perspective viewof one of the switch blades, and

Figure 7 is a similar view of the top wall of the casing.

Referring more in detail to the several views a rectangular casing, 1 ofa suitable insulating ,material is so molded. to provide vehicle (notshown).

plurality of compartments 2 in the front wall thereof. Secured to thefront wall of the compartment 1 by set screws 3 or the like is a platemember 4 of relatively greater dimensionsthan the casing 1. This plateis provided at its opposite end portions with enlarged perforations 5for receiving any desired form of fastening means whereb the casing 1and the plate lmay be readily secured within a rectangular opening inthe dash board of a motor The plate 4 is provided with a rectangularopening 6 therethrough, which opening'is in alinement with thecompartments .2 in the casing 1 and rigidly held between the adjacentfaces of the front plate 4. and easing 1 there is disposed a rectangularstrip of glass 7 whereby the compartments 2 within the casing 1 may bereadily viewed. The casing 1 is provided on its rear side with an upperand lower longitudinally disposed series of bores 8 and 9 respectively,the inner ends of these bores communicating with the compartments 2.Positioned within the upper bores 8 of the casing 1 are insulated leadwires 10 from the distributor head. The extreme ends of these wireswithin each compartment 2 is secured within thev compartment by bendingthe same around depending set screws 11 and it is to be noted that theseset screws project through the upper wall of the casing 1, the heads 12of these screws beingflush with the outer surface of the said upperwall. Similarly positioned within the lower row 9 of the perforations inthe casing 1 are other insulated lead wires 13 from the spark plugs ofthe combustion engine, and the extreme ends of these wires projectinginto the compartment 2 are secured therein by threaded set screws '14,within each compartment, these set screws being suitably spaced from thelower ends of the before-mentioned set screws 11.

The upper wall of the casing l is transversely slotted as at 15 aboveeach compartment 2 within the casing, and positioned within each ofthese slots is a fiat like switch blade 16 of insulating material.Positioned upon the top wall of the casing 1 and the upper surface ofthe switch blades 16 is a cover plate 17 of rectangular formation and ofthe same dimensions as the upper wall of the casing. This cover plate 17is rigidly secured to the said surface of the casing 1. by screws or thelike fastening means 18 re.

.2 it we no fault nth the distributor or within the ceived withinopenings '19 at the four corners of the plate. The front plate l of thecasing 1 is provided with openings 20 in alinement with the forward endsof the slots 15 of the casing 1 for permitting pas sage or" the switchblades 16 therethrough. It will therefore be seen that the said switchblades are slidably disposed within the said slots of the casing 1 andare loosely retained therein for sliding movement by the cover plateEach end of these blades 16 is provided with an cap 21 ecured thereto byscrews 22, and it will be noted that the length of these end caps isslightly greater than the width of the switch blades 16 for preventingremoval of these switch blades from their position within the slots.

The-undersurface of the rectangular cover plate 17 is provided with alongitudinal strip 23 of some conductingmaterial such as" brass, copperor the like and this strip 0-1: such material is positioned within thesaid face of the plate 17 so as to overlie the upper ends 12 or thebinding set screws 11 within each compartment 2. This strip 23 is heldby any suit-able retaining means within the plate 17 and centrallypositioned through the strip and. also passing through tne cover plate15 is a binding post 24: projecting externally of the plate and to whichthere is secured by a lock nut 25 one end of a ground wire 26. Theopposite end of this wire is suitably secured to the frame of the motorvehicle whereby the circuit th rethrough is grounded. Each switch blade16 is provided with a conductingscrew 27 therethrough at a point spacedfrom the inner end of the said strip. The opposite ends of each screw 27are flush with the adjacentsurtaces of the blade 16. and are sopositioned as to contact with the heads 12 of the screws 11 and thelongitudinal strip 23 of the cover plate 17 when the switch blades 16are slid to their dotted ine positionshown in Fig. 4-.

From the above description it will clearly be seen that when the switchblades 16 are i-nthe position shown in F 2 by the full lines of Fig. 41the electric current from tne storage battery to the distributor head,not shown and from the point within this head through each wire 10 tothe set screw 11 will cause a consequent jump and a spark between. theadjacent ends of the set sci ws 11 and the head or" the post let withineach compartment 2 and then through the plug leads 13 to the spark plugswithin the cylinders when there is no interruption in the circuit due tobad points within the distributor or to broken or fouled plugs.While-"the motor is running idle andsh'ould t me be noted in eachcompartment 1 na ura'lly" be" known that there is lead wires' fromthe-distributor nor within any selective one of the switch blades 16into the dotted line position of Fig. 4, and d after any one or" theseswitcn blades are moved to such a position should the motor still soundthe same, it will be readily noted by the operator that something iswrong somewhere in the circuit for that respective" H 'ndor. is factbe'in determined by shunting the circuit through the distributor cad 10,set screw 11, head 12, connecting T ience through the strip 23 to theground 1 e 26 :"or cutting out the jump within the respectivecompartmentsand the consequent circuit through the coacting plug lead 13to one of the plugswithin the'motor.

Minor changes may be made in the invention without departing from thespirit and scope thereof as claimed.

What is claimed as new is In a device or the kind described, a base ofinsulating material having a series of rectangular transverse slotsextending from front to back thereof in its top wall, a cover for saidbase having" a recess in its under side extending longitudinally thereofabove and communicating with the series'ot transverse slots, said basebeing provided with a plurality of compartments in its front portionbelow the series-of transverse slots and forming spark chambers, spacedpairs of bores leading from each of said spark chambers through to therear face of the block, afxed contact strip fitting in the longitudinalrecess of said coveran'd adapted for connection to a ground, combinedcontact members and terminals each ext-ending through aperture in thebottom of the series of transverse slots and intosaid spark chambers andbeing in vertical alinement with the cont-act strip, the upper ends ofsaid terminals being flush with the bottoms of the series of transverseslots. contact blades of insulating material slidable in the series oftransverse slots and each hava contact member extending' verticallytherethrough with its ends flush with the upper and lower faces" of saidblades, and other terminalsfix e'd t'o the reartaice of the sparkchambers in spaced relation th the Jerinina-ls. p in testimony whereofmy signature.

annaaw'eaase, Jr;

en 27 within the switch blade 16 and lEO

